[3aidlillahi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vampyregirl', 'W')hen I say mass produced I mean on a market flooding scale like the Civic or Accord.
I already posted on the hydrogen infrastructure project in China and another poster commented on the planned project in the EU. Make of it what you will.
Do I think the ICE will be totally phased out? Not anytime soon no but alternative vehicles such as electrics, hybrids, fuel cell, NVs etc can certainly provide a suppliment.

[shortonsense]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('3aidlillahi', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vampyregirl', 'W')hen I say mass produced I mean on a market flooding scale like the Civic or Accord.

[vampyregirl]

if you get run over by ANY car it is going to hurt.

[copious.abundance]

Will be interesting to see how many of these they sell.

I'm sure Aubrey will be happy.

--> LINK <--
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')uesday, November 18, 2008
Honda to make natural gas Civic in Indiana
Business First of Columbus

In dedicating its new Indiana plant this week, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. officials also announced the facility will begin producing a compressed natural gas-powered car next year.

The automaker said its Greensburg-based Honda Manufacturing of Indiana LLC arm, which began production in October, will turn out a natural-gas powered vehicle dubbed the Honda Civic GX next year. Honda didn’t disclose how many of the vehicles the plant will be producing or when production will start.

The company said the vehicle will be the world’s only compressed natural-gas powered passenger car.

[...]

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('OilFinder2', 'W')ill be interesting to see how many of these they sell.

I'm sure Aubrey will be happy.

--> LINK <--
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')uesday, November 18, 2008
Honda to make natural gas Civic in Indiana
Business First of Columbus

In dedicating its new Indiana plant this week, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. officials also announced the facility will begin producing a compressed natural gas-powered car next year.

The automaker said its Greensburg-based Honda Manufacturing of Indiana LLC arm, which began production in October, will turn out a natural-gas powered vehicle dubbed the Honda Civic GX next year. Honda didn’t disclose how many of the vehicles the plant will be producing or when production will start.

The company said the vehicle will be the world’s only compressed natural-gas powered passenger car.

[...]

[copious.abundance]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', 'W')ell they already sell the GX on the west coast so maybe they are growing production because they beleive in the Pickens plan?

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('OilFinder2', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', 'W')ell they already sell the GX on the west coast so maybe they are growing production because they beleive in the Pickens plan?

[3aidlillahi]

Yup, already in production. I've read a few articles about people test driving them up and down California. "Gas equivalent" was around $1.50 or so. Very good a few months ago, now not much better.

The thing about Pickens Plan is that he wants heavy duty trucks to be nat gas powered with electric powered (wind source) personal vehicles. Here we have one of the most fuel efficient US cars on the market. It doesn't make much sense. It's much better to start producing heavy vehicles that are nat gas capable (along with expanded rail system which no one is talking about).

[Gerben]

CNG is not a good solution for trucks because of lower driving range than gasoline or diesel. LNG is an alternative there. Heavy duty on CNG is only for local, short range trafic, like garbage trucks and school busses. CNG is good enough for passenger cars. There are millions of them in the world. Now that gasoline is cheap again it won't be worth investing in though.

Edit: people have been complaining about the high price for the GX and low availablility (only in a few states), long waiting lists. I hope they will finally solve that now.

[jamest]

If the U.S. were smart (it's not), it would impose an excise tax on gasoline and diesel when oil price is low, in order to ensure that there were an adequate price spread to provide an incentive to use natural gas in passenger cars rather than petroleum-based fuels.

The revenue from the excise tax could be used either to offset reductions in other taxes, or to purchase oil for a tactical petroleum reserve that would be drawn down when prices were high.

[WisJim]

The Honda dealer in LaCrosse, WI, has one that he drives. I've seen it at various energy related events. The refueling station is in his garage, fills from the house's natural gas line. Perhaps the real news in the story is that Honda is going to make them in the USA, in quantity?

[seahorse2]

CNG isn't good for commercial? Pickens touts NG for commercial and has a company retrofitting commercial vehicles. What type of NG is he using?

In California or places where they sell these NG cars, how difficult is it to find stations that can refill them?

[aahala2]

Honda has been building NG cars at a single line in Ohio for a
while. I don't know if they have ever released specific annual
sales figures. The guesses I've seen are in the range of
500-1000 per year.

The big three used to produce NG vehicles for the US
and I believe GM and Ford still do, along with others, but for
other markets. In the US, it was mostly(entirely?) fleet cars
and buses. Apparently there are about 130,000 in the US.
In some countries NG vehicles exceed a million.

There were several different federal subsidies relative to using NG for vehicles that may be expiring.

A while back the governor of Utah or Nevada paid for a conversion
for a state vehicle from his own funds in order to promote the idea.

[skeptik]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Gerben', 'C')NG is not a good solution for trucks because of lower driving range than gasoline or diesel. LNG is an alternative there.

[jamest]

I would very much doubt that it is feasible to use LNG as a vehicle fuel, as it would require the installation of a huge LNG distribution network.

It should be noted, however, that there exist commercial GTL methods for producing diesel fuel from methane. They are only economic, however, when there is a large spread between natural gas price and oil price.

[yesplease]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('seahorse2', 'I')n California or places where they sell these NG cars, how difficult is it to find stations that can refill them?

[cualcrees]

"Honda Motor Co. has come to the conclusion that we will withdraw from all Formula One activities, making 2008 the last season for participation," said Honda president Takeo Fukui at an emotional press conference."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsp ... 766092.stm

[pup55]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'B')ut they have been uncompetitive in the last two seasons - and they effectively wrote off 2008 to focus on building as competitive car as possible for next year, when new rules will be introduced.

[biofuel13]

Thank god! So the article said nine teams? I can't wait for the other 8 to quit as well. Then on to Nascar. Get rid of all fossil fuel racing.

If people insist on watching cars go in circles for hours on end why not use it as a full scale testing ground for solar cell, electric and battery innovation?

[CarlosFerreira]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('biofuel13', '
')If people insist on watching cars go in circles for hours on end why not use it as a full scale testing ground for solar cell, electric and battery innovation?